Commuters left stranded as religious parties protest in Lahore

TLP members hold demo on Chehlum of those killed in Khatam-e-Nabuwat demonstrations

LAHORE: Lahore was the scene of paralysing traffic jams as a religious outfit protested in the wake of the Chehlum of those killed during demonstrations against changes to Khatam-e-Nabuwat in Islamabad on November 25.

Members of Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah, led by cleric Maulana Asif Ashraf Jalali, started assembling at Data Darbar early on Thursday morning. He started a march to Punjab Assembly Chowk, thus throwing traffic off track.

The demonstrators reached Chairing Cross where they started their sit-in. The rally caused a massive gridlock as law enforcement agencies and city district authorities seemed helpless to stop the protestors who were shouting slogans against the government.

The traffic on Mall Road also came to a standstill as stick-wielding protestors did not let any citizen move. The religious party workers placed barricades on their own and police acted as silent spectators.

Traffic police officials and other law enforcement agencies, instead of stopping the protestors, were busy in helping them move forward at the Punjab Assembly chowk.

Police deployed large contingents of personnel in various areas, but traffic remained a mess. There were long queues of vehicles on the Mall Road, Canal Road, Jail Road, Ferozepur Road, linking arteries and even thoroughfares. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2018.